Rent Movies and TV Shows on DVD and Bluray. Fast, free delivery. No late fees. Beauty and the Beast 2. Anniversary Edition Blu ray ReviewNote The review of the film is an edited version of my review for the 2. D re release. Scroll down for my review of the new special features. Ive loved Beauty and the Beast for twenty years. My grandmother bought me the VHS when I was a kid, I went to see the IMAX re release as a teenager, I bought the special edition DVD later that year, then I bought the special edition Blu ray back in 2. With that version already on my shelf, does the new version make enough additions to the special features to make it worth another purchase The renaissance of Disney animation wonderfully shown in the must see documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty slowly began to grow after the The Black Cauldron flopped in 1. The Little Mermaid in 1. X2KFJUeWxirEYpDkzjs8K-1200-80.jpg' alt='Beauty And The Beast Movie Bluray' title='Beauty And The Beast Movie Bluray' />Some will argue that the renaissance reached its apex in 1. The Lion King, and commercially thats true. Its the highest grossing of all the 9. Disney movies, but its not the best. The plot is fine but it lacks the grandeur of a storybook tale. The songs are memorable, but theyre not on par with what Alan Menken was able to do with the late, great Howard Ashman on Mermaid and Beauty. Image via Disney. After a brief prologue with a wonderful stained glass exposition a vain prince became the Beast voiced by Robby Benson, we get the fantastic Belle. Its a number that would be right at home in a stage musical, but the animation adds wonderful sweeping visuals set against a storybook style. The number not only sets up Belles character Paige OHara, but also perfectly sets up the overall theme and foreshadows what makes the town so oppressive to our heroine. But most of all and most importantly, its a wonderful song. Ashman and Menken never talk down to their audience in their lyrics and thats why the songs have no problem throwing in words like provincial and expectorating. The visuals and the tone of the song help children understand whats happening and the adults can appreciate the craft. Theres also the simple message every kid can take home people who are ugly on the outside can be good on the inside and people who are beautiful on the outside can be ugly on the inside. As an adult, its still interesting to see how the movie approaches the superficial. Exploring that approach may seem ridiculously high minded for a movie with singing dishware, but when it comes to the human characters, its neat to see how the filmmakers approached Belle. The town is baffled by her not because she reads books. They think shes odd because shes beautiful and she doesnt need to spend time developing her mind when theres a handsome stud like Gaston Richard White waiting in the wings. As for the Beast, hes the anti Prince Charming. The animators decided to base Gaston on a grotesque version of what a prince charming character should look like, and they make Beast work to become a Prince Charming whose inner beauty will earn him back his outer beauty. I dont remember if Beast scared me as a child, but he doesnt start out as warm and cuddly. Hes not misunderstood he has a terrible temper and while it may be a result of loneliness and self pity, its still a trait he has to overcome. Furthermore, the movie starts out with the servants unquestionable accepting that Belle will be the woman to break the spell. To them, she is a function rather than a person and it takes the meaning out of falling in love. Beasts love only becomes real at the end when he has to let her go and accept that hell never break the spell. True love means sacrifice, not simply proving youve learned how to dance in a CGI ballroom. Image via Disney. Again, kids will understand the basic message, and theyll also be drawn in by the animation. How To Install Usb Drivers For Android. The CGI ballroom sequence should feel dated and if you focus on the pillars on the background youll see how CG doesnt age well. But your eyes wont wander to the background because the scene is so well choreographed and skillfully blended with the 2. Beauty And The Beast Movie Bluray' title='Beauty And The Beast Movie Bluray' />D animation. The computer animation always supported the scene rather than overshadow it. Beauty and the Beast is a bona fide classic that deserves to be in everyones collection. The question that the new release raises is what should you do if the movie is already in your collectionSpecial Features. If youre picking this up solely for the sneak peek at next years live action remake, youll be sorely disappointed. Most of the footage is already online, and its less than two minutes long. Apparently Bill Condon Tried To Get Beyonce Into Beauty And The Beast. Beauty and the Beast 2017 . This isnt an in depth behind the scenes look at Bill Condons picture, so if youre hoping to get a better look at that movie, youre just going to have to be patient. The other weak feature on the disc is 2. Fun Facts About Beauty and the Beast hosted by Disney Channels Gus Kamp and Kayla Maisonet. If youve ever wanted Disney Channel moppets to read you IMDb trivia in an upbeat tone, then youll enjoy this feature. For everyone else, it seems oddly out of place. While I understand that Beauty and the Beast is a family film, this extra is out of sync with the maturity of the other special features. Its bizarre to have one feature thats been tailored for kids while the other features will appeal more to the people who saw Beauty and the Beast back in 1. Beauty And The Beast Movie Bluray' title='Beauty And The Beast Movie Bluray' />Image via Disney. The other special features are much stronger. The highlight of the disc is Menken Friends 2. Years of Musical Inspiration. The special feature is a conversation between Alan Menken Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Stephen Schwartz The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas, Kristen Anderson Lopez Frozen, Disneys upcoming Gigantic, Robert Lopez Frozen, Disneys upcoming Gigantic and Lin Manuel Miranda Disneys upcoming Moana, and its basically just the composers geeking out over each others work. Its delightful to see them comment on the impact of Disney musicals, and to have them talk about their inspirations. The next best feature, although its all too brief, is The Recording Sessions. When the voice actors for Beauty and the Beast would record their dialogue, they were taped for the benefit of the animators Belle pushing her hair back is a tic they got from Paige OHara. Ill admit that I got a big grin on my face watching Jerry Orbach voice Lumiere. Speaking of the voice actors, Always Belle is a nice look at the work of OHara, and how her performance as Belle changed her life. Voice actors rarely get the credit they deserve especially now that most of them are A list actors who just want to be part of a movie they can show their kids, and its nice to have a little spotlight shown on OHaras career. Image via Disney. Finally, theres the awkwardly titled 1. Walt, Fairy Tales Beauty and the Beast, which shows that Walt Disney was considering a Beauty and the Beast movie decades ago but never got around to it. The feature digs deep into the Disney archives to try and find out how far the old animators got into the movie, and while it doesnt come up with much, there are a few neat surprises along the way. So should you buy the new Blu ray If you dont already own Beauty and the Beast, its a no brainer. In addition to these special features, youre also getting a digital copy, so its well worth the price. But if you already bought the Diamond Edition back in 2.